Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, December 9, 1994                   TAG: 9412100010
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-21   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

INITIAL JOBLESS CLAIMS UP 6,000

The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial jobless claims totaled a seasonally adjusted 322,000 in the week ended Dec.3, up from a revised 316,000 the previous week. The figure for the week ended Nov.26 was initially placed at 317,000.

Most economists expected an increase because the previous week included the Thanksgiving holiday and there were fewer days to file.

Initial claims have been up and down over the last six weeks and, indeed, for most of the year, with the longest streak of declines this year coming during the four weekly reporting periods in September.

The Labor Department reported that its four-week moving average of initial claims was down 2,750, a substantial change in an indicator that tends to show more modest movement. The average dropped to 323,000 from 325,750, the biggest decline since Oct.1.

Because it smooths out the weekly bumps and dips, analysts consider the four-week moving average a better indicator of hiring trends than the initial claims figure. The monthly employment report is the most-watched hiring indicator.